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Authors' Professional and Ethical Responsibilities
Authorship
Only those persons who contributed directly to the intellectual con-tent
of the paper should be cited as authors. They should meet all of the following
criteria:
(a) conceived and planned the work that led to the paper or interpreted
the evidence it presents, or both;
(b) wrote the paper or reviewed successive versions and took part in the
revision process;
(c) approved the final version.
Authors submitting papers for publication must confirm that all of the
authors have met these criteria.
Covering letter
Each manuscript should be accompanied by a covering letter which includes
statements concerning authorship and informed consent (see above); confirms
that the contents of the manuscript have not been published or are not
being submitted for publication elsewhere, and by a disclosure of financial
interests or other dual commitments that represent potential conflicts
of interest for any of the authors. The name, full mailing address, telephone,
fax number and e-mail address of the author responsible for correspondence
on the paper should also be included. Unless otherwise requested by the
corresponding author, his or her fax number and e-mail address will be
published.
Ethical responsibilities
The Methods section must include a statement confirming review of
the study by the appropriate local Ethics Committee or Institutional Review
Board, and indicating that material relating to human inves-tigations
and animal experiments conforms to standards currently applied in the
country where the study is based. Where appropriate, this statement should
also indicate the procedure used to ensure adherence to ethical guidelines
on informed consent and should affirm that such consent was obtained.
Written consent must be obtained from the patient, legal guardian or executor
for publication of any details or photographs that may identify an individual.
Evidence of such consent must be submitted with the manuscript. The Journal
reserves the right not to publish an article on the grounds that ethical
or experimental standards have not been reached.
Acceptance
All manuscripts reaching the office of the Editor will be acknowledged,
and at the conclusion of the review procedure, the author(s) will be notified
of acceptance or rejection of the paper or the need for revision of the
paper. The decision of the editorial board is final with regards to rejected
articles. Rejected articles will not be returned to the authors.
The editorial-subcommittee has the right to return sub-standard manuscripts
to the authors, rather than passing them on to the reviewers. This implies
outright rejection of the manuscript.
Copyright
Authors of papers accepted for publication in the West Indian Medical
Journal must agree to transfer copyright to The University of the West
Indies, publishers of the Journal. This signifies transfer of rights for
print or electronic publication, production reprints, facsimile, microfilm
or microfiche.
Assembling and submitting the manuscript
Manuscript format and style
Manuscripts should be arranged as follows: title page, abstract, text,
list of references, acknowledgements, tables, figures and figure legends.
Each component should begin on a separate page and all pages should be
numbered sequentially starting with the title page. Authors are urged
to seek guidance on grammar, punctuation and scientific writing.
Manuscripts should not exceed 12 typed pages (including abstracts and
references) and be double spaced throughout with left and right margins
of 2.5cm. Text should be typed, using Times New Roman at 12 font. The
original and three copies of the manuscript must be submitted with a 3.5
inch diskette in Microsoft Word. Only the latest version of the manuscript
including tables and figures should be on the diskette. The diskette should
be clearly labelled with the full file name and the name of the first
author. Diskettes will not be returned to authors. Manuscripts may also
be submitted via e-mail to the following address: wimj@uwimona.edu.jm.
However, all requirements for submission must be maintained when submitting
electronically.
Guidance for the length of articles is as follows: book reviews,
450 words; letters, 450 words; short communication, 800 words; editorials
(including references), 1000 words; case reports, 1500 words; special
articles, 2000 words; viewpoint, 2000 words; reviews (including abstract
and references), 2500 words.
Headings should be short (three or four words), positioned flush with
the left margin with initial capital letters. First level headings are
boldface; second level headings, regular type; and third level headings,
italics.
Use SI units throughout, generic names for all drugs and limit abbreviations
to those that are absolutely necessary. The proprietary name for a drug
is included if it is better known than the generic name, to differentiate
among drug forms or if a specific trade preparation was used in a study
or involved in an adverse effect. The explanations for the abbreviations
must be given when they first appear in the text, but are not necessary
for units of measurements or standard scientific symbols. The name and
location of manufacturers of equipment and instruments must be given in
parentheses in the text.
All spelling should conform to that in the recent edition of the Oxford
Concise English Dictionary.
Title page
The title page should include
– the main title (and subtitle, if any) which should be as brief
as possible while conveying the essential features of the article’s
contents;
– the authors should be listed (without their qualifications) in
the order in which they will appear in the published article with the
institutional affiliation of each author;
– a short title (to be used on the continuing pages of the published
article);
– Three or four keywords or phrases for indexing purposes;
– a brief synopsis (limit: 40 words) for editorials, original articles,
reviews and special articles, to be used on the front cover to describe
the manuscript.
Abstract
This should not be more than 250 words and should be structured: objective,
methods, results, conclusion.
Text
Papers reporting original specific scientific evidence would usually be
divided into the following sections: introduction, methods, results, discussion,
list of references. All studies that include numerical data and use statistical
inference must include, in the Methods section, detailed descriptions
of methods used for statistical analysis, including the statistical software.
It is suggested that the Discussion include: a brief synopsis of the key
findings; consideration of possible mechanisms and explanations; compari-son
with relevant findings from other published studies and limita-tions of
the present study and methods used to minimize or com-pensate for these
limitations. The paper should conclude with a brief summary of the implications
of the work.
Case Report
A Case Report need not be structured with the same formality as a scientific
paper. It is advised that case reports should however conform to the following
format.
Introduction: The introductory paragraph should not exceed 80 words;
Case Report: this should include a short relevant history of the patient(s),
examination, investigations, differential diagnosis and treatment. Discussion:
lessons to be learnt from the case report on the progress of the case.
The discussion must be on the reported case.
References
Responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of references rests entirely
with the authors. References will not be checked in detail by the Editors
but papers in which errors are detected are unlikely to be accepted. References
should be numbered in the order in which they are first cited in the text,
tables and legend to figures using Arabic numerals in brackets on the
line. The list of references should be typed in double spacing and in
numerical order on separate pages. The reference style of Index Medicus
must be used (see examples below), including the abbreviations of Journal
titles. References to personal communications and to papers in preparation
are included in parentheses in the text, and are accompanied by letters
of permission from the cited persons. List all authors when six or fewer;
when seven or more, list only the first six and add et al. You may wish
to use a citation manager software, such as Reference Manager, to compile
your references. The order and the punctuation are important and should
conform to the following examples:
Journals
1. Standard article
Barton EN, Sargeant LA, Samuels D, Smith R, James J, Wilson R et al. A
survey of chronic renal failure in Jamaica. West Indian Med J 2004; 53:
81–4.
2. Editorials, abstracts, letters
Harding S, Maynard M, Cruickshank JK, Gray L. Blood pressure and its determinant
in black Caribbean, black African, South Asian and Caucasian adolescents
in the MRC DASH study in Britain [Abstract]. West Indian Med J 2005; 45
(Suppl 2): 24.
La Hee F. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [Editorial]. West Indian
Med J 2002; 51: 137-8.
Books
1. Author
Lowe HIC, Morrison EY St A. Marijuana, Cannabis, Ganja – the Jamaican
Connection, Kingston, Jamaica, Pelican Publisher Limited; 2001.
2. Editors
Magee PN ed. Banbury Report 12 – Nitrosamines and Human Cancer. New
York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; 1994.
3. Chapter in a book
McCusker RH, Clemmons DR. The insulin-like growth factor binding proteins:
structure and biological functions. In: Schofield PN, ed. The Insulin-like
Growth Factors: Structure and Biological Functions. New York: Oxford University
Press; 1992: 110–150.
Tables
Tables should be labelled and numbered in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 etc)
in the order in which they are cited in the text. Tables should be ruled
as follows: necessary lines at the top for headings, no vertical or horizontal
lines in the body except a line above and below the totals.
Figures
Figures should be professionally drawn or prepared using a computer and
high resolution printer. Submit three glossy prints of each figure or
laser quality proofs for black and white figures (7.5 x 8.75 cm). Arrows
on the figure must point to the relevant details.
1. Figures should be identified by writing in pencil on the back of each
figure the number, the author’s name and orientation (top).
2. Legends to figures should be typed on a separate sheet of paper. Begin
each legend with a short title. Explain all abbreviations and symbols
used in the figure, even if they are explained in the text.
3. Authors must pay the full cost for reproduction of colour figures and
prints.
Acknowledgements
Financial support information, including the name of the granting agency
and grant number (if any), persons who have provided technical support
and those who have contributed to the scientific content, should be included
in this section.
Proofs
Proofs will be sent to all authors for minor corrections and approval.
Reprints
If reprints are required, they must be requested in writing on receipt
of the letter of acceptance, at which time an estimated cost of the reprints
will be furnished. Actual cost can only be provided after publication,
as this depends on the length of the article. No reprints will be provided
when they are requested after this.
Conference Proceedings
The Journal also produces conference proceedings on request, such
as Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC), University of the West Indies
Diabetes Outreach Project (UDOP) and Faculty of Medical Sciences Annual
Research Day Conference.
Business Information
Copyright: Material printed in the Journal is covered by copyright and
may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission
of the Editor. Single photocopies may be made by individuals without obtaining
prior permission.
Microform: The Journal is available in microform from Bell and
Howell Information and Learning.
Abstracting and Indexing: The Journal is currently included in
major abstracting and indexing services including Medline and MedCarib.
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